8) Concord
by The Hummingbird Tales
Summary: On a faraway planet called Raion, atop a snowy mountain, trudges Bradwr: a wanted man in the city below. Following him is Clara Oswald, attempting to catch up with him (after all, it means her life), but even the deadly mountain isn't the most dangerous thing she is going to have to face...
1. Chapter 1 - Raion

Chapter 1

The Hummingbird didn't know quite how she was feeling at the moment… lonely could be it.

She had spent several weeks at home, alone, after she had returned from the parallel universe where she had once again helped Sherlock and John Watson solve a mystery, and now the silence was troubling her.

Clara Oswald had never liked being alone, and the only solution to this problem was to go out and make a friend. Which had gotten her thinking: why didn't she find a companion? After all, The Doctor had always enjoyed having a companion, why couldn't _she_ have one?

So now her resolution was to find a place to go.

She had read a book that she had found in the TARDIS about different planets and one in particular had stood out to her: Raion. In the constellation of Leo, there was a planet inhabited by humanoid lions called Leoajiti.

Always one for exploring new planets, Clara tied up her bootlaces and straightened her ribbon tie as she recalled the co-ordinates of Raion and typed them into her vortex manipulator. She wasn't too confident about going out completely on her own, but she assured herself that all would be fine and sent herself into the void.

* * *

Clara found herself standing at the bottom of a mountain when she arrived on Raion, pure white snow beneath her feet and a chilly breeze blowing through her hair.

She hadn't expected it to be this cold, and was seriously considering going home to get a coat. She would have, too, if only she hadn't seen a lion-man run past her at top speed. Looking at where he'd come from, Clara saw a small village set in the snow ahead of her – very quaint and very quiet.

As a time-travelling peace-maker, she felt it her duty to see what he was running from, so she trudged through the snow towards the village…

When she arrived there, she was met with a lioness, clothed in a ragged dress, looking rather annoyed.

"Who was that?" Clara asked, pointing over her shoulder towards the mountain.

"You're not from round here, are you?" The lioness replied, not making eye contact with The Hummingbird, just staring straight ahead into the glare of the sun.

"No, not at all," Clara replied.

"If you were, you'd know that that was Bradwr: the trouble-maker around these parts. He's also unfortunately my husband. He's committed a terrible crime, and now he knows the army from the big city are after him, he's fled to the mountains. We're all in trouble now…"

"Why all of you?"

The lioness sighed and turned around, still not making eye contact,

"Head to the Drunken Lynx if you want to know more," she said, "I have work to do…" and she trudged away to a little house behind her.

Clara shrugged to herself, looking about the tiny village. One of the buildings closest to her looked like a tavern – a Viking tavern, at that – and it had a sign outside it, blowing about in the wind, with an image of a tankard painted onto it in paint that was dripping from the snow.

If any building was going to bear the name 'The Drunken Lynx' it would most probably be a tavern, so seeing it was her only option, The Hummingbird made her way to the door and headed inside…


	2. Chapter 2 - The Drunken Lynx

Chapter 2

Everybody in The Drunken Lynx looked up as Clara pushed open the door.

"What's all this about Bradwr, then?" She asked, brushing own her hands.

There fell an awkward silence…

"You're not from around here, are you?" One of the lions at the bar growled.

"Not in the slightest,"

"Why do you want to know about Bradwr?" Another lion demanded, glaring at Clara with his beady yellow eyes. He was holding a tankard with one hand and reaching behind him for a battleaxe with the other.

"Because I like to help people," Clara replied, watching him very closely.

"Let her speak, Ray," the lion sitting next to battleaxe lion said, sighing, "We could do with some help…"

The barmaid spoke up,

"Bradwr went to try to get in the royal guard, but he didn't get the job, so in his rage he decided that it'd be a good idea to go into the city and yell at the guard who did get the job. That's bad enough on its own, but the Chieftain of Switterbeck already hates him, so now he's got the whole army on him," she explained.

"Thing is…" Ray the Battleaxe Lion started, "Bradwr's run off to the mountains now, so the army's going to go on a rampage through the village until they find him. And if he's not here, we'll all be interrogated until we tell them where he is, but if we say he's up in the mountains, THEY WON'T BELIEVE US!" He yelled, smashing his fist onto the table at the end and knocking an empty tankard off it, "So we'll eat and drink our sorrows away, because soon WE WILL ALL DIE!"

"Listen, I realise you're all very upset about Bradwr's actions, but getting drunk isn't going to resolve the issue: you have to go out and do something about it," Clara reasoned, staying very calm, "If some of us head out now, we might just catch up with him…"

Everybody in the building was silent; the barkeeper stopped tending the bar, the barmaid put the tray down and nobody made eye contact.

"We don't go up the mountains anymore," the barmaid said, eventually, "And even if we did, nobody could make Bradwr listen: he's as stubborn as can be."

The Hummingbird was quiet, sitting down at a table and flicking over an empty tankard,

"I'm… I mean…" she started, clearing her throat and staring down at the table, "I could always go."

"I'm sure he'd be very shocked when he'd see you… but no: not even you could make him pay attention," Ray's friend said.

"Can only try…" Clara mused, kicking the floor and watching the dust fly about before it settled again.

"Have you got a screw loose?" Ray laughed, "NO-ONE goes up the mountains and comes back in one piece."

"Maybe it's just really nice up there and they decided to stay."

"I don't think so at all."

Clara stood up and brushed her shirt down,

"Well, it's worth a try, that's what I always say. When should I head up? Now?" She asked, being completely serious.

"It's be best if you didn't head up at all," the barmaid replied, "But if you insist, you'll have to get ready first, and you can't go up on your own, so you'll have to find somebody to go with you."

"Leonard's daughter would go with her," the bartender said, speaking up at last.

"Rosetta?" The barmaid coughed, surprised, "My cousin?"

"Yes, Rosetta. Always looking for trouble, that one…"

"Well, I suppose…"

"These are the lives of innocent Leoajiti we're talking about here, Lois, and we should do whatever we can to save them… and us. Besides, it'll be good for the girl to get out of the town for once."

Clara watched this conversation take place with great interest; her first day on her own and she'd already found people in need. She only hoped that she'd be able to help them without killing anybody…

The barmaid (who's name was evidently Lois) turned to her, quickly,

"Go and talk to the inn-keeper next to the town hall, perhaps you can stay there a night or two whist you prepare, and maybe tomorrow I can introduce you to Rosetta."  
"Right then!" The Hummingbird smiled, opening the door to outside, "I'll see you around sometime… oh, I don't think I introduced myself, did I? I'm The Hummingbird, nice to meet you."

And just as quickly as she had arrived, she was gone.


	3. Chapter 3 - Reasoning

Chapter 3

Clara stretched out on her back on the wooden floor of her inn room. She was in her own little world again, trying not to focus on the chilly breeze coming through the broken glass in the window. She would often drift away into these little worlds where she could do whatever she wished with whomever she wanted, and whilst she was in these worlds, nothing could bring her back to reality.

Not even the frantic banging on the door.

It was only when she lost her train of thought that she realised that somebody was pounding on her door, desperately trying to get her attention,

"Hey! Are you dead in there?" Whoever it was called.

"Sorry! Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, be patient…" Clara called back, stumbling to her feet and bounding over to the door to see who was there.

It was Lois: the barmaid from the Drunken Lynx.

"Leonard had just come back from the big city and he says he overheard two guards talking about coming here to attack _tomorrow_!" She exclaimed, hurriedly.

"Calm down, Lois," Clara breathed, running a hand through her hair, "Why was he in the city?"

"His brother is Chief there, he had to go and speak to him. But that doesn't matter: if you want to save the village, you have to go _now_!"

" _Now?"_

"Yes, now! By this time, Bradwr will be half way up Coal Mountain: if you want to catch up with him, you're going to need some warm clothes, some food and a companion! Now come on, Hummingbird, we don't have a minute!" Lois said, frowning, grabbing Clara's hand and dragging her into the hall.

"Woah, woah, wait!" Clara laughed, "Let me get my bearings, I can't just run off like that! Not just now, at least."

"Well, why not?"

"There's no way I'm going to have enough time to get ready, go up this mountain, find Bradwr, convince him to follow me and lead him back down the mountain all in time for tomorrow," she reasoned, but Lois didn't seem impressed,

"I thought you were going to help us!" She glowered, "You're not being much help."

"Well, I'm deeply sorry, and I understand that you're all very stressed, but hear me out here, _please_! There's another way I can do this so I can get more time."

"How?"

"Reasoning, my dear Lois," Clara coughed, holding her index finger in the air, "I can talk to the army and I can promise you that everything will be OK."

"You can't _reason_ with them: are you _mad?"_

"Entirely bonkers! But don't you worry, you can trust me: I'm the personification of persuasion. I have made alien races fear what I've told them I'm capable of; I think I can handle a few soldiers, don't you? "

Lois scowled, letting go of Clara's hand,

"We'll see about that," she huffed, "Fine: if you want, you can wait and try to reason with them, but if it doesn't work – and it won't work – I hope that you can live with the guilt of knowing that you could have saved us all, but you didn't!" And she stormed off, leaving The Hummingbird feeling rather uncomfortable.


	4. Chapter 4 - Meeting Rosetta

Chapter 4

It was around eight in the morning, the sun was rising over the little snowy village, the first few snowflakes drifting down to the ground, and The Hummingbird was drearily staggering out into the open air, the cold breeze blowing through her hair and somewhat waking her after her long, cold night.

She was freezing cold and shivering as she stumbled out of the inn and into the middle of the village. She had, that morning, had a brief conversation with the innkeeper – whose name was Alain – and had managed to ask what the village's name was. Seeing as it was a mining village, its name was Pitville.

Wishing that she had thought ahead and brought gloves, Clara bounded across the street, trying to avoid being seen by anyone, to the nearest building, which just so happened to be a town hall.

Slipping inside into her safe haven of warmth, she looked about the place. The whole building was all rather impressive: it had extravagant stained glass windows and stone pillars down the sides of the hall, reaching all the way to the other side of the room where there was a stage and a few sets of tables and chairs. Sat at one of these tables, looking a tad forlorn, was a young lioness, fiddling with the ring around her finger and not even flashing a glance up as Clara entered the building. She had two golden earrings on her left ear and one on her right and had grey markings around her eyes and over her nose that made her look as if she was wearing pointy glasses.

Clara, being her curios self, wandered over to her and help her hand out,

"Hey!" She grinned, "I'm The Hummingbird – nice to meet you!"

The lioness looked up to her, a somewhat startled expression on her face,

"Oh, hello, I didn't see you there," she sighed, "You surprised me."

"Sorry…" Clara smiled, shyly, "I do that sometimes. Anyway, your name?"

"Rosetta," the lioness replied, clearing her throat, "I suppose you're who everyone's talking about? You're very brave going up into the mountains all on your own. My cousin, Lois, says that I should join you, but… my father… he's kind of protective and he says that I can never go up into the mountains – never mind with somebody I don't know."

Clara's smile fell and she let her hand fall to her side. She was really dreading going up the mountains and going on her own was only going to make the whole thing worse.

"Well…" she started, fairly awkwardly, "You could help me in a different way, without even leaving the room."

"Oh?" Rosetta chirped, "Well, alright… but what can _I_ do?"

"You could tell me a bit more about the mountains and the village and the 'big city', whatever it's called. If I'm off on an expedition on my lonesome, it's best to be prepared, right?"

Rosetta smiled, her pointy teeth showing,

"Gladly! What do you want to hear first?"

"About the city," The Hummingbird smiled, sitting down opposite her and looping her ankles around the chair legs.

"It's called Switterbeck, where some of the biggest names in the district live. My uncle, Reginald, is chief there, but he acts more like a king, calls himself a Jarl. Most folk down there are pretty stuck up and look down on us in the smaller towns, that's why my dad didn't like it there, so he gathered some others and founded little Pitville. It started off very small, but it's getting bigger by each passing year. We came here when I was only a cub and ever since then, the people in Switterbeck have jumped at every opportunity to attack us. They didn't like it when we moved out; they thought it would rub off on the other citizens and that they'd eventually lose all of their population."

"The army aren't particularly nice to you all here, I presume, then? Wonder how I'm going to reason with them…"

"You're going to WHAT?" Rosetta exclaimed, standing up, suddenly, and clapping her hands down on the table.

"Oh, did Lois not say?" Clara asked, not flinching, "I'm going to reason with the army so I can get more time to fetch Bradwr."

"That'll never work!"

""Yeah, that seems to be a common opinion: Lois said that, too… But trust me, it'll all be fine. I'm your only hope, remember? Have a little faith."

"You are the maddest… thing… I've ever met."

"'Thing'? I'm a living being like you, you know?"

"Then what's with those giant wings on your back? They're not normal."

"I may not be one of your kind, but I'm still a being. I come from a planet called Earth, and-… No, no, I'll tell you about that later, there's no time right now."

"If your little plan works, Hummingbird…" Rosetta scoffed, folding her arms, "I'll do whatever you ask for the rest of my life, but I can assure you, that army listens to Reginald – and that's _only_ Reginald."

Clara sniggered,

"You don't know what you're saying…" she purred.

"Have you even practiced what you're going to say?"

"Nah: I'll just make it up as I go along, it'll be fine."

"Are you insane?"

"I think so, yes… but I'm serious now, I need you to believe in me: I can't do this on my own, I need somebody who's on my side."

Rosetta sighed,

"Sorry… I should be more grateful, shouldn't I? You're saving our lives, after all."

"That's the spirit!" The Hummingbird laughed.

"When is the army supposed to be coming, anyway?" Rosetta asked, scratching the back of her neck and glancing over to the door, where the daylight streamed in through the windows beside it. She could swear that she could hear footsteps…

Clara's face fell as she heard it, too, and she slowly stood up and straightened down her shirt, re-assuring herself that all would be well,

" _Now_ ," she breathed, "They're here _now_ …"


	5. Chapter 5 - Firewick's Army

Chapter 5

The army had come from North, trooping into the quaint little village of Pitville, past the inn and the town hall, expecting for everybody to be outside as they usually were, unsuspecting of a thing… but no.

The army general – general Firewick – was rather confused. He'd wanted the whole village to be captured very easily and for nobody to give up a fight, but instead there was nobody around. Had they _all_ fled to the mountains?

"You're not going to find anybody outside…" he suddenly heard a voice from behind him say.

Turning around, he saw a figure hovering above his men, or more like a silhouette, shadowed by the light of the sun, two vast wings beating away.

"Men, draw your bows!" Firewick ordered, scowling.

"Wouldn't shoot if I were you…" the figure shouted back, making sure her voice could be heard, "I'm just a waste of your time…"

"Who are you?"

"I'm The Hummingbird, I've come from faaaaar away and I'm currently on the lookout for Bradwr, much like you are. Saw him dart off up Coal Mountain, so you could look up there…"

"You're lying, nobody in their right mind would go up the mountains, why would Bradwr? Besides, you're on the side of the Pitville folk; what reason have I to trust you?"

"Do you want me to come down there so I don't have to keep shouting?"

"Come here, yes, and tell me the truth…"

The Hummingbird fluttered down to see the general's face: his fur was all black and he didn't have much of a mane, more like a long strip of hair that was combed back behind his ears. He had white markings on his cheeks that looked like flames and his brow was furrowed into a mean scowl.

"You know where Bradwr is, don't you?" He spat, "Tell me."

"I just did: I said he's up Coal Mountain… I was gonna' go look for him myself, but I didn't think I'd have enough time before you came," Clara replied, calmly, "On that note, if you give me a while, I'll go up and fetch him for you."

Firewick seemed to consider this, though he still frowned, before he gave a grunt,

"Do you vow to bring him to the chieftain?" He asked,

"Oh, yeah, I promise, I do. Might be a long trip, mind."

"How long were you hoping for?"

"As long as you're willing to give me, sir."

There was silence between the general and The Hummingbird before the black lion told his men to lower their bows,

"If you can bring Bradwr down from the mountains and hand him over to Reginald within three days," he huffed, " _Then_ , and only then, I will spare the village."

"Thank you very much, sir," Clara smiled, holding her hand out for a handshake.

Firewick seemed to look at her pale skin rather strangely, as though he was only just noticing that she wasn't one of his kind,

"And on one more condition," he said, quietly.

Clara raised an eyebrow, almost dreading the next sentence,

"What is it?" She asked.

"If you don't bring Bradwr back in time, I execute you instead."

Clara was quiet as the general said this. This was a risky decision, but she was Pitville's last and only hope, and if she had to put her life on the line to save a whole village of innocent people, so be it,

"Deal," she said at last, and the general shook her hand.

"Fare well, then, Hummingbird: we will see you in three days. Come on, men: let's head back to Switterbeck and inform the chieftain."

"Yes, sir," the army men chorused, sounding vaguely sad that they didn't get to shoot anybody.

And they all trooped away.

"You really did it, huh?" Clara heard a voice say as she brushed her hands off. She spun around to see Rosetta stood there, looking quite awkward and very amazed.

Clara nodded and smiled,

"See? I told you I could talk them out of it. But seeing as I've only been given three days, I'm probably going to have to start getting ready to leave and head up to the mountains," she said, cracking her knuckles.

"I'll come with you," Rosetta offered, "If you like."

"I'm not sure your dad would let you, would he?"

"If you can persuade the army to show mercy, you can certainly convince my father to let me help you. After all – helping you, I'd be helping the village, and my father wants the best for Pitville."

Clara considered this,

"I'll see what I can do…"

* * *

The house of the Pitville chieftain was certainly an impressive one. There stood a big cherry blossom tree outside (though it had no flowers as of yet and looked a bit dead) and the walls were covered in ivy plants, creeping up the brickwork, only leaving the huge windows and double doors uncovered. The whole building was very immaculate, looking rather like a Viking royal hall, reminding Clara very much of something you'd see on Skyrim.

"You… live here?" Clara marvelled.

"Yeah. I don't like it, though: it's too cold and big and boring and it doesn't feel like a home… it's just a building," Rosetta replied.

The Hummingbird could see her reasoning.

Rosetta led her inside, the old oak doors creaking as she pushed them open.

Inside, there was a fire pit in the middle of the room, a long table at the left hand side with six chairs (three looking unused), an immaculate carved wooden chair sat at the end of the room, on a platform up some steps, and two doors on either side of it. The walls were covered in red tapestries of lion heads, swords and axes. At the right of the room was a table covered in all sorts of utensils and food, a bloodstain from a slab of meat slowly dripping down onto the timber floorboards, making a little spatter with every drip.

A strong-looking old lion – evidently Leonard – sat on the chair at the end of the room and looked down at Rosetta and Clara as though he was tremendously more important than them.

"Is this the foreigner I've been hearing about, Rosetta?" He asked, bluntly, eyeing Clara rather suspiciously.

"Yes, she is," Rosetta replied, awkwardly, "Her name's The Hummingbird and she's just stopped Switterbeck's troops from capturing us. She's going to find Bradwr, too, soon, and I thought maybe I could join her?"

Leonard paused before he gestured for Clara to step forward to speak to him.

The Hummingbird strolled forward, acting as calm as she could, though Leonard somehow seemed more imposing than the army general. She made sure to carry her wings high and look as confident as she could manage.

"Who are you, exactly?" Leonard asked.

"My name is The Hummingbird, as Rosetta mentioned. I'm not one of your kind but you can trust me. Your daughter would like to help me when I head off up Coal Mountain, and, frankly, I could do with the help. So, seeing as she would also be aiding the village, I decided to ask you whether you would let her come with me? It's entirely up to you, of course."

Leonard looked at her a tad oddly as she tucked her wings to her side.

"I'll consider it…" he said at last, "Ready yourself and I'll send my son in the morning to tell you what I've decided."

"Just one issue with that, sir," Clara coughed, "I need to set off later today, so you'll have to make your decision sooner, I'm afraid."

"Leave me to make up my mind, then. You head down to Bartholomew's Trading Post; he'll supply you with all you need. Leave Rosetta here, I'll send my son to the inn at midday, if you're still around by then. Now go, foreigner," Leonard ordered, pointing to the door.

The Hummingbird nodded, solemnly, and turned to leave. She stepped down the two steps and walked down the middle of the hall, glancing and smiling at Rosetta as she pushed open the door to Pitville.


	6. Chapter 6 - Pitville Traders

Chapter 6

The Hummingbird couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed as she stepped through the door into Pitville Traders. It was like Aladdin's cave: there was so much stuff everywhere that Clara couldn't see for looking.

"Ah, hello there, traveller!" An old, frail lion grinned, hobbling toward her, multiple helmets balanced in a stack atop his head and two hide bracers about his wrists. He had a long, black mane that clearly hadn't been brushed in days, as it was as matted as a Victorian rag rug.

"Are you… Bartholomew, by any chance?" Clara asked.

"Indeed I am," the eccentrically dressed lion replied, "And you're The Hummingbird, I presume? I saw you from my shop window. Very impressive how you dealt with the army, I must say…"

"Thank you," Clara smiled, coughing, "I've got to be heading up the mountains soon, so I was wondering what I should take…"

"Oh, I've got plenty of stuff here; I have everything you'll need!" Bartholomew replied, "And, since you're helping us, I won't even charge you: you can take whatever you like."

The Hummingbird laughed,

"Everyone in this town says _I'm_ mad, but you're the ones giving everything away for free! Then again, where does money get you when you're at risk of dying..? Anyway, I have no _clue_ what I'll need, so whatever you see fit for me to take, I'll take it."

Bartholomew started taking the helmets off his head, one by one, and placing them on a soft pile of clothes on the floor that Clara hadn't before noticed. He then began wandering around his shop, studying almost everything he saw. It seemed not even he knew where things were kept in this explosion of unsystematic items.

"On a serious note," Clara started, clearing her throat, "What's really so dangerous about these mountains? Everyone seems to think me crazy to go up there voluntarily."

"We don't like to talk about it much around here," Bartholomew frowned, not making eye contact, "The Chieftain's late wife went up there once a few years ago to look for a cure for a disease that once struck Pitville. Everyone liked that lioness: she was brave, kind, clever and everything a good person should be. And she was my daughter… she went up Coal Mountain that day and she never came back down. I hoped, back then, that I would see her again… but now I've lost all hope."

Clara bit her lip, hearing the sad air to the old lion's voice and regretting that she had ever brought up the subject,

"I'm sorry," she murmured. She couldn't really think of anything more comforting or kindly to reply with.

"Ah, it's fine, enough about my problems: this is about you!" Bartholomew smiled, looking back over to her, "You'll be needing something to protect yourself for a start…"

* * *

Carrying an enormous pile of items in her arms, unsure of whether she needed half of it, Clara nudged open the door of the inn with her elbow. Bartholomew had supplied her with copious amounts of… stuff: helmets, boots, gloves, bracers and clothes studded with metal spikes that were currently digging into her arms as she attempted to make her way up the stairs to her room. Fortunately, no-one was around to see how rubbish at carrying stuff she was.

When she got to the door to her room, The Hummingbird kicked it open and threw the bits and pieces onto the floor before wringing her numb hands and swallowing. She really didn't want to sort through all of this junk.

She was saved from having to sift through it all by a voice from down the stairs calling out a confused hello.

Clara didn't know exactly what time it was, but she suspected that it was about12:00. Leonard said he'd send his son out at mid-day, so the voice was most probably that of the Chieftain's son, so Clara hopped down the steps to see a… snow leopard with a mane spiked into a Mohawk… he was standing with his hands together, looking rather puzzled and tired.

"Ah: say, are you The Hummingbird?" He asked when he saw Clara. His face seemed to change from confusion to surprise when he saw her. He was probably just surprised at her appearance.

"I am: are you Leona- I mean, the Chieftain's son?" Clara answered.

"Yes – I hope you were expecting me," the leopard nodded. His voice was deep but somewhat anxious.

"Absolutely! So? What's the Chief's final decision?"

"He says that my sister can go with you as long as you look after her. She's spent ages trying to convince him to let her come with you, so father didn't really have another choice. But if you come back without her, he says he will personally have you executed in the middle of town with everybody watching."

The Hummingbird blinked, slowly,

"I'm sure it won't come to that. I'll take very good care of your sister, I assure you."

"Good," Leonard's son smiled, somewhat awkwardly, "Uh… I'm Oliver, by the way. It's very nice to meet you. Rosetta's been talking a _lot_ about you."

"Has she now? Well, tell her that whenever she's ready, she can find me here: first floor, second room on the left."

"Will do! See you around sometime, Hummingbird," Oliver grinned, saluting Clara as he hurried away out of the inn.

Clara smiled to herself and cracked her knuckles before heading up the stairs, up into her cold little room.


	7. Chapter 7 - Pitville's Only Hope

Chapter 7

Clara frowned, tossing yet another garment onto the pile of unwanted items she was creating on the floor. It was getting larger with all the unnecessary apparel that she was discarding.

"I mean, why would I be wearing a dress when I'm up a mountain? Surely that would be even colder than what I'm wearing now..? Then again, maybe females aren't allowed to wear trousers on Raion? That's understandable, I guess…" Clara muttered to herself. She had no idea where her train of thought was heading, "Wait… does that mean they don't approve of me?" She asked herself, suddenly, lifting her head and staring, blankly, at the wall in front of her before shaking her head and looking back down to the last few remaining items on the inn bed, "Never mind: I can be a rebel, I suppose. That's what Joan of Arc did – she wore trousers. Then again, she was burned at the stake. They say that was for crimes against the English, but I bet it was because of the trousers…"

"Talking to yourself, are you?" A voice asked, unexpectedly, surprising The Hummingbird into looking around to see who had spoken. In the doorway to her room stood Rosetta, smiling to herself. Clara had no idea how long she had been there.

"You're more round the bend than I first thought," Rosetta grinned, "They say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness."

Clara looked up at her,

"Nah: the first sign of madness is purple spots all over your arms," she coughed, stretching her arms out and giving a small yawn, watching as Rosetta glanced down at her arms.

"The second sign is looking for them," she added, smirking.

Rosetta stared across at her and sighed, smiling,

"Oh, very funny, Hummingbird. So… when are we setting off?" She asked.

"Any time you like. Are you ready? You came rather quickly."

"Just can't wait to go, really. Can we go now?"

Clara grinned at her friend's enthusiasm. She seemed very eager to get out of Pitville, and – by what she'd heard the bartender say at The Drunken Lynx – she didn't get to do that very often.

"Of course we can!" The Hummingbird replied, "Come on – pick anything you need from that pile of stuff there on the floor and we'll be off. I'm only taking some gloves and shield in case I need to protect myself."

"No sword? Axe? Dagger?" Rosetta asked, cocking her head to the side and looking a bit confused.

"I'm not a killer," Clara answered, shaking her head.

"You're a coward, then. Anyone around here who doesn't kill is classed as a coward."

"Oh, trust me, I'm far from a coward. I just decide to use my power for good rather than abuse it to get my way."

"So if you're not a coward – or a killer – what are you?" Rosetta asked, narrowing her eyes.

Clara looked at her, standing up straight, she smile fading from her face,

"I am your one chance of staying alive."


	8. Chapter 8 - Coal Mountain

Chapter 8

Everyone in Pitville had congregated in the middle of town to see Rosetta and The Hummingbird off, crowding around them and looking Clara up and down to see if she looked somewhat capable of taking care of the chieftain's daughter.

Of course, Leonard was giving her the coldest glare.

"Don't worry, Pitville," Clara announced, suddenly, lifting her head and looking above everyone's heads in the hopes that she wouldn't lose her nerve if she didn't make eye contact, "I promise to you, I will bring your wanted man down to Switterbeck in plenty of time. And, on top of all that, Chieftain, I will keep your daughter under my watchful eye at all times and no harm at all will come to her."

Leonard didn't look too convinced, but The Hummingbird was certain that she was up to the challenge. She didn't say much else after her two short sentences, just saluted the town, bid them farewell and strolled away, Rosetta in tow.

As soon as The Hummingbird was stood at the base of Coal Mountain, she could see that there was a kind-of path leading up the side of it, curving all the way up and looping around like a helter-skelter.

"Well," Clara mused, cocking her head to the side and staring up the snowy mountain, "This won't be as difficult as I thought… there seems to be a path… All we really need to do is follow it and Robert's your father's brother: we find Bradwr"

Rosetta stared at her, confused,

"But my father's brother isn't called Robert," she said, blankly, "He's called Reginald."

"Yes, I know that-"

"Then why did you..?"

"It's a phrase – where I come from at least – 'Bob's your uncle'. Anyway, that doesn't matter, just follow me…" Clara sighed, starting up the path, her companion trotting along beside her.

"This path only goes up half way," Rosetta mentioned, eventually, "They made it as an entrance to the coal mine. Probably doesn't even go up _half_ way… we'll lose it in time, where the terrain gets rough – then we're on our own."

"Isn't the entrance to the mine shaft at the base of the mountain? I'm sure I've seen it."

"They started digging a second one – a few years ago, it was – but they didn't find any coal up there, so they left it a couple of months ago and now it's abandoned. Some people hold that it's home to some sort of evil monster. They've heard noises coming from it at night, echoing through the mineshafts – horrible, outlandish noises. I've heard them, too. Nobody in Ravenswood Farm dares to come down to Pitville anymore because they're scared of the mine monster and they'd have to walk past it to get down the mountain. Nobody down here comes up, either, for the same reason."

"So _that's_ why everybody keeps telling me the mountains are so dangerous? Just because of some weird noises? The cowards…" Clara scoffed.

"Nobody's come down since my mother went up two months ago," Rosetta mentioned, "She was meant to be back the next day but she never came back down. She went to visit some relatives of ours who live up in Ravenswood farm. We sent a search party up after her, but they didn't come back, either."

The Hummingbird's face fell,

"Oh…" she breathed, "I'm sorry about your mother…"

It was all she could think to say at that moment.

"It's OK," Rosetta replied, "Father takes good care of me. I'm OK, we're all OK."

"Well then… Let's have a walk up to this abandoned mineshaft and see if this 'monster' really exists, shall we?"

"What? You've got to be kidding."

"No..?"

"You don't believe the stories?"

"Of course not – 'cause that's all they are: stories," The Hummingbird said, turning around to face her companion.

"I still don't think it's a good idea."

"Well, now who's the coward?"

"I am NOT a coward!" Rosetta yelped, adamantly, folding her arms.

"Says the lioness scared of stories."

"I am NOT scared of stories!"

"Oh really? Prove it."

"Maybe I will."

And so, smirking, Clara turned back to the path and kept on trudging along it; her feet getting increasingly colder and her breath visible in the air so clearly that it looked a bit like she was breathing smoke. Her assistant followed behind still, in complete silence, arms still folded and shaking from the chill.

Rosetta had no idea why she agreed to this, but ho-hum, she was stuck here now. She longed to be back home with her father and brother, next to the warm fire, safe and sound. What had she done in following this complete and utterly mad stranger up a mountain? Why did she ever think that this was a good idea..?

* * *

After a very long trek up the pathway without a rest or a breather, breath staggering and teeth chattering, the duo came to what looked like the end of their easy ascent.

Breathing a heavy sigh, Clara wiped the snow from the shield that she'd brought and had been dragging up the mountain before handing it to Rosetta and looking around. Sure enough, right there in the mountainside beside them, was the entrance to a mineshaft.

"Shall we?" The Hummingbird asked her companion, giving a sly grin.

Rosetta could only agree, seeing as she'd already said that she'd prove her worth, and soon she was following Clara into the dark, old, shaft.

She pulled a dagger from her belt. She knew that Clara didn't know she had this – she had taken it from the pile of discarded items from Bartholomew when The Hummingbird wasn't looking – but she couldn't help but take it.

It was her upbringing and instinction, of course, to kill things that threatened her.


End file.
